File Properties

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Subject: File Properties

While working under Windows 2000 Professional SP-4 I added a lot of

information to image files (.jpg, etc.) in the 'Properties' feature

that included such items as 'Title', 'Comments', etc. This info would

pop up whenever I hovered my mouse pointer over a file that had been so

annotated and would tell me a lot about the file without actually

needing to open it.

Now, having built a new system using Windows XP Professional SP-2, this

information cannot be seen by the new operating system and it is a very

major setback to me, as that information was created with much effort

and to have it lost is most painful.

There should be a 'patch' that would enable the new OS to read files

created under an older version, and I truly hope that someone will have

an answer to this most vexing issue.

Thanks much,
Robert K. MacDowell
 
Hi RKM,

This functionality is available in Windows XP as well. You need to enable
the option "Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items" in the
Control Panel Folder Options, View tab.

By default, the following data should be displayed when you hover the mouse
pointer over an image file type:

* Dimensions
* Date Picture taken
* Camera Model
* Type
* Size

Also, note that the EXIF information such as the Camera Model may be lost if
the JPG is modified using an image editor (in case). Secondly, not all the
above information may be displayed when you hover over the *same* file from
a network share.

BTW, this newsgroups is for IE6 support.
 
Hi Ramesh,

The box in Control Panel is checked and has been all along.

As far as I can tell, file properties do pop up OK if the properties were
created by the camera (mine is a Sony camera) and all sorts of camera EXIF
data either pops up in XP or can be seen by looking into the file properties
box or adding appropriate columns to Window Explorer when in the File Details
view.

The problem I'm faced with is that entries that I personally added in
properties such as Title and Comments while working under Windows 2000
Professional SP-4 are not visible in XP Pro and I have not been able to find
any way to fix this.

Sorry about the extra post in Windows XP group, but I thought the issue
might be a core problem with XP and it might not be related to IE.

Robert K. MacDowell
 
RKM,

If this happens to a particular group of files (for the ones that you've
added the comments manually), then I have no idea. See if this command
resolves the problem.

regsvr32 shimgvw.dll
regsvr32 /i shell32.dll

If not, your best place for this question is the windowsxp.photos group.
 
Ramesh,

I'm not a command geek, so before I do this can you tell me if these are two
separate commands that I would use one after the other? Is it possible/likely
that this might mess up the system in any way? What do the commands do?

Thanks very much,
 
Robert,

If that were the case, I wouldn't have posted that.

What do the commands do?

Restores the missing prop: types in the registry. Recreates this data for
the "Image" file types:
prop:Dimensions;WhenTaken;DocTitle;DocComments;CameraModel;Type;Size

If you're hesitant, open Regedit and goto:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SystemFileAssociations\image

See if the "InfoTip" contains the above data: (importantly the DocTitle &
Type, as you;ve added them in the image files manually)

--
Ramesh, Windows XP MVP
http://windowsxp.mvps.org


RKM said:
Ramesh,

I'm not a command geek, so before I do this can you tell me if these are
two
separate commands that I would use one after the other? Is it
possible/likely
that this might mess up the system in any way? What do the commands do?

Thanks very much,
Click to expand...
 
What do the commands do?

I should also say that the DLL registration fixes many other OLE
registrations, and user preference are not affected anyway.
 
Ramesh,

I took the conservative route and looked in the Registry and the items you
specified under image\infotip are there exctly as you wrote them. I wonder if
possibly Windows 2000 named these properties in some way that XP can't
understand and if we could enter something in this section of the Registry
that would fix this issue?

As I mentioned before, XP seems to be working fine in all respects except
that it can't see these particular bits of Windows 2000-generated
information. XP does display all infotips that were created by XP and also
the EXIF info generated by the camera, enen though this was all saved under
Windows 2000.

Right now I can't get into Windows 2000 because that system had melted down
and I will have to get Windows 2000 limping again so I can look at this same
area in its Registry - so if you could look at this in a running Windows 2000
system it would be a big help.

Many thanks,
Robert
 
Robert,

I don't think so. I believe the registry value/key would be same as in
Windows 2000, but Windows 2000 does not support all the Prop types available
in Windows XP. Ref Figure 7.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/01/11/xpshell/default.aspx

Don't have a Windows 2000 box here, but I'll inspect one of your image files
if you can send through mail. Meanwhile, you may post in xp.photos group
parallely, for more assistance. I'll take a look there, as well.
 
I'm assuming that the XP system is a new system and not an upgrade install
over the 2K system. How did you transfer the image files from the 2K
system to the XP system? If I understand correctly what you did, the
information you added is stored in alternate data streams in the NTFS file
system. If these files are copied to a non-NTFS system or transferred by
a mechanism that doesn't understand ADS (FTP or HTTP for example), the
added data is lost.


RKM said:
While working under Windows 2000 Professional SP-4 I added a lot of
information to image files (.jpg, etc.) in the 'Properties' feature
that included such items as 'Title', 'Comments', etc. This info would
pop up whenever I hovered my mouse pointer over a file that had been so
annotated and would tell me a lot about the file without actually
needing to open it.
Click to expand...
Now, having built a new system using Windows XP Professional SP-2, this
information cannot be seen by the new operating system and it is a very
major setback to me, as that information was created with much effort
and to have it lost is most painful.
Click to expand...
 
Gary,

Yes, the XP Pro with SP-2 is a brand-new system that I personally built on a
brand-new hard drive and I have not used the system enough to suspect that I
may have corrupted it.

I have encountered this issue when trying to copy files via CD-RW even with
Windows 2000, but discovered that if I did a Windows 2000 Backup using the
built-in utility that I could restore selected files from the backup to
Windows 2000, so I know that it's necessary to pay attention to the file
convention.

I tried using Windows 2000 Backup to move one of these files to XP but that
did not work. At this time I have the old hard drive with Windows 2000 on it
mounted in my tower as a slave, so I can see all of the files that it
contains using Windows XP Explorer, but I still cannot see those elusive file
properties that I worked so had to create.

Tried installing Netscape 6 on the XP system but that doesn't work, either.

So if you have any ideas about how to solve this mystery, you know you will
have my eternal gratitude.

Thanks,
Robert
 
Ramesh,

I think I'll take a photo with my Sony DCS in Email mode to keep the file
small and try to exume the Windows 2000 system and put the file in a
directory there, where I can annotate it as I have always done. Then,
hopefully, I can send the file to you by Email attachment so you should
hopefully have all of the file data that was created by the camera and my
manual Windows 2000 user inputs such as Title and Comments.

I will have to put the Windows 2000 hard drive back in the tower as a Master
and try to boot it up, make up the test file and then put the new hard drive
back in the tower as Master and use XP to actually send the file to you, as
my Windows 2000 system is a holy mess and I think it may not be possble to
get Outlook to work ;->

I can not see any way that I an send you a file attachment via this
discussion goup setup - is there a way?

This will take me a while, so if you see any flaw with the idea please let
me know so I won't go through the painful exercise.

Many thanks,
Robert
 
Umm. Looks like a tedious task, Robert. How about sending in one of the
existing images (to simplify the work). BTW, you need to use a newsreader to
post attachments.
 
If XP can't see the added property values when the original 2K drive is
mounted in the XP system, then I'm afraid you're out of luck. I have no
idea why that would be the case. You might get a better answer in the
file_system groups.

microsoft.public.windows.file_system
microsoft.public.win2000.file_system



RKM said:
Gary,
Click to expand...
Yes, the XP Pro with SP-2 is a brand-new system that I personally built on a
brand-new hard drive and I have not used the system enough to suspect that I
may have corrupted it.
Click to expand...
I have encountered this issue when trying to copy files via CD-RW even with
Windows 2000, but discovered that if I did a Windows 2000 Backup using the
built-in utility that I could restore selected files from the backup to
Windows 2000, so I know that it's necessary to pay attention to the file
convention.
Click to expand...
I tried using Windows 2000 Backup to move one of these files to XP but that
did not work. At this time I have the old hard drive with Windows 2000 on it
mounted in my tower as a slave, so I can see all of the files that it
contains using Windows XP Explorer, but I still cannot see those elusive file
properties that I worked so had to create.
Click to expand...
Tried installing Netscape 6 on the XP system but that doesn't work, either.
Click to expand...
 
Ramesh,
Set up Outlook Express and sent you a photo file, but got a message back
from my server that it was not delivered. The address that the system used
was
(e-mail address removed). Is this a valid address, or do you have another way
that I can send a file using normal Outlook?

Robert
 
RKM said:
Ramesh,
Set up Outlook Express and sent you a photo file, but got a message
back from my server that it was not delivered. The address that the
system used was
(e-mail address removed). Is this a valid address, or do you have another
way that I can send a file using normal Outlook?

Robert
Click to expand...

Try taking out the xox.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/
 
Sent a reply and some attached files by Outlook Express News Reader a few
minutes ago and just checking to be sure it went through.
Best,
Robert
 
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